The Tangled Mystery of Shirley McAvoy
Shirley McAvoy suddenly disappears
Brian McAvoy hadn’t seen or heard from his estranged wife, Shirley, in almost two months. He had reported her missing a little over a month ago, and last he heard, there was a man staying with her just before her disappearance. He may have suspected that they went on a long trip together, but this seemed a little too long... Her red 1990 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme, which was actually registered to him, hadn’t been seen at her home or in town since — nor had her two dogs.
Routine maintenance at house reveals huge pool of blood
The house was strangely dark. Curtains from the kitchen had been moved into the living room, blocking any light from the windows that faced the road. Brian wasn’t as familiar with the new furniture Shirley bought herself after they’d separated to get rid of the reminders of her “old life”, but he knew there was something strange. The whole living room was arranged awkwardly, the couch in particular stuck out the most. The coat rack that hung on the wall had been moved, and the place was unusually tidy. He knew his ex-wife, and she was a bit messy.
Brian moved one of the coats on the rack, which revealed some unusual dark stains on the wall behind it. He then moved the couch back to where it usually sat, revealing something much more alarming — a 3 foot by 2 foot dark red stain, crusty and dried, on the carpet. A stain that was definitely blood.
Who was Shirley McAvoy?
A friend of Shirley’s said that she was a loving mother and super protective of her girls—that she was unsure how Brian had gotten full custody. The Bangor Daily News also reported in 1991 that “Brian found the disappearance unusual because of his wife’s close relationship with her two daughters.”
On the other hand, conflicting accounts said Shirley was an alcoholic and was abusive towards her children, which is why she lost custody. What I do know for a fact was that Shirley and Brian had two daughters together, and that Brian had full custody the girls and lived with them in Fairfield. The book Murderers Among Us by Steven Michaud and Hugh Aynesworth (which was shared with me by listener Michael) says that Shirley was barred from contact with the girls after several episodes of physically abusing them. The book (and a lot of the articles about Shirley) paints a harsh portrait of her — of somebody struggling with mental health issues and possibly substance abuse, and whose “lifestyle” was the talk of the town.
It’s difficult to parse fact from fiction to learn about who Shirley really was.
Shirley introduces friends to a new man
On Thursday August 8th, 1990, Shirley invited over several friends for a little party at her home where they met a mystery man who introduced himself to as Jerry. But Jerry apparently told others that his name was Don.
Friends told police that she could have either met him at Funtown, an amusement park in Saco, or at a bar in Millinocket, which are both close to a 2-hour drive from Pittsfield in opposite directions.
Jerry was an enigma. He was in his mid 30’s and had memorable pale blue eyes and sandy blonde hair, and he spoke with a southern accent, something that stands out in central Maine. He was initially described as short and stocky, weighing 180lbs and standing 5’5”, with crooked teeth and pock marks on his face, and later reported to be 5’10 to 6 feet tall. A probable correction that was never officially noted.
Jerry seemed to be what anybody wanted him to be. He was an Air Force mechanic from Virginia, and a construction worker in Millinocket. Jerry wanted to be a Navy SEAL. Jerry had an either 12 or 14-year-old daughter, and had recently divorced a woman in Massachusetts who was having twins. He was from Oklahoma. He was also from Kentucky. Or was it Old Orchard Beach, Maine?
Jerry didn’t have a vehicle, which is essential to getting anywhere in Maine.
After interviewing Shirley’s friends, it was clear nobody actually had any idea who Jerry really was, or if any of the information he told them was actually true.
What neighbors did know was that they saw Jerry leave in her red 1990 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme in the early morning of Saturday August 10th, and after that they never saw Shirley, Jerry, or the car again.
Hunters in Virginia discover Shirley’s body
On November 20th around 1:15pm, Mike Furrow was standing on the tailgate of his pickup truck looking for deer in rural Spotsylvania, Virginia, about five miles from the southbound I-95 freeway, when he saw a white object in the distance that he said looked like a ball. Upon further investigation, he realized it was the skeletal remains of a human body.
The remains had been dumped in the woods behind “Todd’s Tavern Market” off route 623. They were wrapped in a bedspread that was heavily stained with bodily fluids and tied on either end with cords from window blinds. The remains were tentatively identified by dentures that were found with the initials S. McAvoy and two rings—a class ring from Biddeford High School, and a ring with three stones that had belonged to Shirley’s mother. Shirley McAvoy had been found.
Coincidence with Rines case
If you listened to the episode on 14-year-old Christopher Rines from Pittsfield, you’ll know that Christopher went missing in April of 1991. In one of the editions from the Bangor Daily News I read, an article about the search for Christopher sat directly on top of an article about Shirley’s car being located, hoping it would lead to answers. Two Pittsfield cold cases that still haven’t been solved to this day that happened within just months of one another.
The search for the killer
Shirley’s 1990 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme had been recovered in Darrien, Georgia. Only it was no longer red. The car had been repainted and sold. Police were able to deduce that “Jerry” had driven the car down to St. Augustine, Florida and abandoned it in the parking lot of a beach motel around the time of the Florida traffic violation on August 14th, five days after he had left Maine. From there it seems that the car was stolen from the parking lot, repainted, and then sold, making its way back up the Florida coast and landing in Darrien, which is about a 2.5-hour drive. Police found bloodstains inside the car. Investigators kept a tight lid on the details, not wanting to tip their hand in the investigation. They sent the vehicle to the crime lab in Augusta for analysis, hoping that somewhere in that cab was the missing clue that they desperately needed about Jerry.
"Jerry" was in his mid-thirties and about 5'10" to 6 feet tall and around 180 lbs. He has sandy blonde hair, blue eyes, crooked teeth, and pock marks on his face. Some of Shirley's friends met Jerry and gave the same description, adding that he spoke with a southern accent. It's believed that "Jerry" is a pseudonym. It's possible he has southern ties based on stories he told them.
If you’re holding onto any information or think you might know something about the murder of Shirley McAvoy or the identity or whereabouts of “Jerry”, I urge you to submit a tip to the Maine State cold case unit.
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“Jerry” composite, Nov 1990
“Jerry” composite, 1991
Sources For This Episode
Submit a tip to the Maine State Cold Case Unit
Newspaper articles
Various articles from Bangor Daily News, Portsmouth Herald, Portland Press Herald, Bluefield Daily Telegraph, Sun Journal, here.
Other written sources
Murderers Among Us: Unsolved Homicides, Mysterious Deaths & Killers at Large, (book) by Stephen G. Michaud and Hugh Aynsworth, 1991
“1990 Pittsfield disappearance turned into unsolved homicide” (online article) by Nit-Noi Ricker, foxbangor.com
Interviews
Neighbor, anonymous
Family member, anonymous
Images
Facebook user, MaineSP (Maine State Police)
Bangor Daily News (mostly by Brenda Seekins)
Credits
Created, Written, told, and edited by Kristen Seavey
Writing and photo support by Byron Willis
This episode was co-produced by AKA Studio Productions